WOLF CREEK BOTANICAL GARDEN

A 10 acre botanical garden right here in Norton, Ohio including various gardens such as those on a steep slope, bog gardens, shade gardens, formal gardens, naturalized gardens plus various tree and conifer specimen plantings.

About the Botanical Garden

The creation of a botanical garden on ten acres of land adjacent to the existing nursery on Cleveland-Massillon Rd. in Norton, Ohio is a never-ending project!

The land’s diverse topography lends itself to the planting and construction of various gardens such as those on a steep slope, bog gardens, shade gardens, formal gardens, naturalized gardens plus various tree and conifer specimen plantings.

The structures included as part of the long range planning include the construction of a major waterfall, picnic pavilion, numerous benches, paved walkways and a building that functions as a place for various assemblies such as educational seminars and special events.

Although our hope is that the botanical garden will draw visitors interested in horticulture and thus increase the exposure of Dayton Nursery, an auxiliary and perhaps major purpose of the garden will be to inspire and excite visitors with the significant established plantings of a wide and varied cornucopia of plant species. The plant species represented will not only add to the palette of those used purely for ornamental purposes, but also some that will represent those used to modify ones’ environment in order to enhance the overall equality of life. Some of these environmentally modifying aspects of plants would include the use of visual and/or sound barriers and wind screens, the cooling of yards and paved areas with trees, the attraction of birds and other animals for human enjoyment, not to mention the benefits to wildlife concerning food and protective cover and finally the use of plants as a first line of defense in the protection of a fragile environment.

Research is another ongoing function of the proposed garden in the testing and evaluating of different plant species and cultivars for Northeast Ohio. Not only will the newest, sometimes genetically modified cultivars of plants be tested for characteristics such as winter hardiness, heat and drought tolerance, insect resistance, among others, but some areas in the garden will remain as a domain for only native species.

It is our belief, that the best use of this garden will be for the education of the public for the necessity of plants in urban settings and the importance of protecting and expanding bio-diverse areas that act as water filters, wildlife habitat, air purifiers, erosion control barriers and other innumerable benefits to our planet’s overall well being.

The construction of our new OWL Barn is complete and we’re particularly excited about the completion of our green roof porch. The multi-colors of the Sedum’s foliage will make the roof appear as Joseph’s Coat, the coat of many colors. This green roof will reduce water runoff as it will absorb the water and release it slowly.

With the green mass, the inside of a building will remain much cooler due to the evaporation of water from the plants and the absence of a baking hot surface as is the usual case. Our new barn will house a new employee break room, several offices and a meeting space.

In conclusion, we at Dayton Nursery expect the Wolf Creek Botanical Garden* to be constructed at considerable expense and labor over several years with an approximate scheduled opening date of the first phase in April of 2010.

Any and all suggestions from any interested groups or individuals are welcomed and will be duly considered.

* The name for the garden, Wolf Creek Botanical Garden was derived from Wolf Creek Township – the original name of the Western Reserve Norton Township before 1818.